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Tyranid air swarms
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=8285
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Author:  ragnarok [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

Having read AI several times I have come up with basicconcepts for a Tyranid airswarm.  The food things wont escape by flying.

Concepts
Low top speeds: They are winged powered so they shouldn't be able to reach high speeds

zero minimum speed:  They can hover like humming birds... err I mean like birds of prey

medium thrust:  Again due to wing power they wont be able to accellerate very fast

Very high manouverability:  In the IA in which the Harridan first came out they are mentioned to have incredible manouverability.

Other ideas:
Possible an ability to increase their speed to beyound their maximum if they power dive.  I'm sure that some hunting birds are capable of very high dive speeds

The ability to use carried Gargoyles as Chaff when being tailed.  Either to absorb incoming fire and/or slam into the tailing aircrafts cockpit and engines (a half ton gargoyle strike has gotta hurt)

Units
flying: Harridans and vituperators only.  I don't think that nids would have a fighter style flyer, rather it will try to bludgen though the enemy flyers

Harridans: Use the V7.1 E:A harridan, carries 4 gargoyles (jump troopers) armed with bio cannons (ground attack only?) and a pair of scything talons.  Base contact only hits on 5+ damage on 3+ extra damage on 5+

Possible have variants that replace their bio cannons with ait to air capable versions and/or replace the gargoyle broods with spore mine clutches

Vituperator:  Similar to the harridan but more damage, possible only high manouverability, carries gargoyles and non jump tansported troops.  Allow its bio cannons to engage air to air targets

Variants, again replace the troop transportation (but not the gargoyles this time) with spore mine clusters.  Possible a breath attack as an extra weapon.

Air defense units
Zonatropes, arial spore mines and gargoyles

Thropes are ground base

arial spore mines take up several altitudes and  but don't need to be based on the ground.

Gargoyles take up one altitude band only and again don't have to be ground based.

and that is it for the basic overview.  Once I've got a few games in with my imperial navy I will try to work out some stats

Author:  orangesm [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

Allow the two 'aircraft' to carry aerial spore mines, makes trailing the Tyranids a dangerous prospect, as it 'poops' them out.  The aerial spore mines might also be  move slowly (single speed) towards a target (have a moving type and a stationary type).

For the gargolyes,  may have them able to go at low speeds (can vary), but descend 1 altitude to gain speed.  They are can not climb.

I would think the way that opposing players would 'safely' approach and attack a Tyranid would be from the sides.  I like the idea of breadth weapons over biocannons.

Author:  CyberShadow [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

I also think that the main attack from the Tyranid fliers would be a 'swipe', the air bug passing within inches of the enemy and raking it with claws.

Gargoyles could also easily be persuaded to fly into air intakes.

Author:  Evil and Chaos [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:31 am ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

I had a chat with Warwick Kinrade a few months back about Tyranids in AI.

He said that he didn't include them because during an average game, while the jets will zip back and forwards across the board, a Harridan will move about 15cm.

At the speeds most of the aircraft work at, he saw them only as targets, not as protagonists.





Author:  ragnarok [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms


(Evil and Chaos @ Jan. 08 2007,10:31)
QUOTE
I had a chat with Warwick Kinrade a few months back about Tyranids in AI.

He said that he didn't include them because during an average game, while the jets will zip back and forwards across the board, a Harridan will move about 15cm.

At the speeds most of the aircraft work at, he saw them only as targets, not as protagonists.

I agree that in reality nid air units will move much too slowly to do anything in a game of  AI, just like dark eldar shouldn't show up in games of epic.

However such logic shouldn't stop us (I know it wont stop me).  I can't see the aircrafts speed being high during a game, they would slow do to more reasonable combat speeds.

Also I'm planning on the arial spore mines playing a large part in reducing the enemies straight line speed, forcing them to make detores around them (ior explode) whilst the harridans just glide through the middle.

Author:  CyberShadow [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms


(ragnarok @ Jan. 07 2007,16:27)
QUOTE
Possible an ability to increase their speed to beyound their maximum if they power dive. ?I'm sure that some hunting birds are capable of very high dive speeds

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea. I have a vision of the birds being vulnerable while they climb, but deadly on the descent.

Author:  illuvitar [ Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:47 am ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

if a terestrial squid can develop a liquid jet type of propultion , what is to prevent the nids from finding some way to propel an aircraft to combat speeds? after all they manage to get into space don't they ??

Author:  ragnarok [ Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:47 am ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms


(illuvitar @ Jan. 08 2007,23:47)
QUOTE
if a terestrial squid can develop a liquid jet type of propultion , what is to prevent the nids from finding some way to propel an aircraft to combat speeds? after all they manage to get into space don't they ??

They have fighter capable space critters as well.  Though not as fast as other races (about 2/3 of the speed if I remember correcty) they are still capable of the same result.

The BL also has some space variant of the harridan keeping pace with a thunderhawk in one of their novels.

As for developing organic jet engines.  I think such things are possible, combined with tyranid bioplasma injectors they should be able to reasch quite high speeds.  I was infact thinking of having symbiote rocket creatures as a "skill" upgrade.

Author:  ragnarok [ Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

Well we can all DW something something something else.  :confuse:

Besides I can always full back on nids super evolution coupled with a "Look over there!"  :D

Author:  Athmos [ Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

hmmmm... i foresee some kind of aerial spore mine drifting in the air... i foresee exocrines shooting corrosive gas clouds up in the air at airrafts... I can see  harridans being allowed to just grasp a passing aircraft and taking it down with them...

I see gargoyles being sucked up in fighter air inlets...

i can smell the stench of vituperator dropping spore bomb on air base, and the burning oil of thunderbolts strafing them...

i can ear the scream of a marauder pilot finding a genestealer in the bomb bay...

i can see floating monstrosity with long tentacles trying to grasp passing crafts, and shooting bone splinters at their cockpit...

I'm sure we can get something done for our beloved monsters :)

Athmos

Author:  marv335 [ Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:24 am ]
Post subject:  Tyranid air swarms

i worked out on average across the board of available aircraft, the average speed per speed band is 370kph.
it's going to be tricky to have a biological entity moving that fast in atmosphere for any length of time.
space flight is different. you don't have to contend with friction or gravity. what the 'nids can do in space has no bearing on atmospheric combat.

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